Hotel Rochavau

"I had a large double room with a partial sea view, which was a lovely touch. The breakfast was also decent, with enough variety to start the day well. The location is great. Praia do Amado is literally across the road, while the main beach, Praia da Rocha, is a leisurely stroll away along the coastline. The housekeeping team also deserve a mention, as they were excellent throughout my stay. The room was cleaned daily and maintained to a very good standard. However, I had expected the hotel to be much more peaceful. The walls were extremely thin, and I could clearly hear neighbouring guests talking (amongst other things...) and I also had neighbours who seemed to think it was acceptable to play loud music at around 7:30am two mornings in a row, making a lie-in virtually impossible. Because the soundproofing is so limited, you really are at the mercy of how considerate—or inconsiderate—other guests choose to be during your stay. If you happen to have quiet neighbours, you’ll probably have a very different experience from someone who doesn’t. There was also a surprising amount of noise from the road outside. Even from the third (top) floor, I could hear traffic while relaxing in the bath, and I ended up having to sleep with earplugs. One of the biggest issues for me was the lighting in the room at night. I prefer to sleep in complete darkness, and although the room had blackout blinds on the balcony door, there was a bright green emergency exit light above the door that illuminated the entire room. Unfortunately, there was no way to switch it off, which rather defeated the purpose of having blackout curtains in the first place. I also found the balcony to be very small. As a solo traveller, it was adequate for me to sit out and enjoy the view. However, had I been sharing the room with another person, I don’t think the balcony would have been big enough. Overall, Rochavau Hotel has a beautiful setting, and great location for beach lovers, decent breakfast options, and attentive housekeeping staff. However, if you’re a light sleeper or particularly sensitive to noise and light, it’s worth bearing these points in mind before booking."

"Just returned from a 7 night stay at Rochavau Hotel where I brought my Mum to celebrate her birthday. I read the reviews and unfortunately our experience was very different. There were multiple stains on the bed linen when we arrived which is totally unacceptable. When we reported it there was no housekeeping to change the sheets so we were handed sheets and duvet covers to change them ourselves, which was something I never experienced before. The hotel is positioned on a main road and is very noisy and we could not sleep at night. I requested a change of room and was told on four separate occasions that there were no rooms available and to wait a few more days despite the fact that guests were leaving throughout our stay. The customer service was appalling with the exception of Vivienne who was the only one who tried her best to help us. The manager never came to apologise and address our concerns."

"Beautiful immaculately clean boutique hotel in perfect location. Our cleaner always had a friendly smile. Comfortable furnishings and quality towels and bedding. Balconies are tiny so we upgraded to a larger balcony with a pool and sea view. Very calm and peaceful hotel just a few minutes walk to the promenade, beach, shops and restaurants."